Buddhahood
Buddha (Sanskrit: बुद्ध lit. Awakened One, Enlightened One. from the Sanskrit: "Budh", to know) is a title given to individuals who have realized their complete potential for personal development and conscious evolution. In contemporary usage, it often refers to Siddhartha Gautama, the religious teacher and spiritual founder of Buddhism (considered to be "the Buddha of this age"). In the other usage, it is an appellative and exemplar for an Enlightened human being.
From the standpoint of classical Buddhist doctrine, the word "Buddha" denotes, not just a single religious teacher who lived in a particular epoch, but a type of person -- an exemplar -- of which there have been many instances in the course of cosmic time (eg. "American President" refers not just to one man, but to everyone who has ever held the office of the American presidency). The Buddha Gautama, then, is simply the latest member in the spiritual lineage of Buddhas, which stretches back into the dim recesses of the past and forward into the distant horizons of the future.
The Buddha does not claim any divine status for himself, nor does he assert that he is inspired by God. He claims to be, not a personal saviour, but a teacher to guide those who choose to listen. A Buddha is a human being who has awakened to the true nature of universal reality, whose insight has totally transformed him or her beyond birth, death, and subsequent rebirth.
Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been the first or last Buddha. Technically, a Buddha, one who rediscovers the Dharma (i.e., Truth; the nature of reality, of the mind, of the affliction of the human condition and the correct "path" to liberation) by Enlightenment, comes to be after skillful or good karma (intention) is perfectly maintained and all negative unskillful actions are abandoned. The attainment of Nirvana between the three types of Buddhas is exactly the same, but the Samma-Sambuddha expresses more qualities and capacities than the other two. These three types of Buddhahood are:
- the Samma-Sambuddha who, without a teacher, gains full Enlightenment by his own effort
- the Pacceka-Buddha or Pratyeka-Buddha who is like the Samma-Sambuddha, but remains silent and keeps the discovered Dharma to himself
- the Savaka-Buddha who is an Arahant (enlightened disciple), but has attained Enlightenment by hearing of the Dhamma.
Gautama Buddha stated that there is no intermediary between mankind and the divine; distant gods are subject to karma themselves in decaying heavens. The Buddha is solely an exemplar, guide and teacher for those sentient beings who must tread the path themselves, attain spiritual Awakening, and see truth and reality as they are.
Amongst the world religions, most of which proclaim the existence of a Creator god, Buddhism is regarded as unusual for being both non-theistic and a religion. For the Buddha, the key to liberation is mental purity and correct understanding, and for this reason he rejected the notion that we can gain salvation by begging to a distant deity.
According to Gautama Buddha, the Awakening bliss of Nirvana he attained under the fig tree is available to all beings once they achieve rebirth as a human. Emphasizing this concept, the Mahayana school of Buddhism in particular refers to many Buddhas and also bodhisattvas (beings committed to Enlightenment but who vow to postpone their own Nirvana in order to assist others on the path). In the holy Tipitaka - the core sacred text of Buddhism - the numerous past Buddhas and their lives are spoken of, including the next Buddha-to-be, the Maitreya Buddha.
Alternative meanings: Buddha (record label) and Buddha (album)